We are developing a miniature new laser diode based UV laser source for use in fluorescence detection instruments. The source will have a long lifetime, small size, high stability, low cost, and adequate power (more than 1 mW) in the ultraviolet for portable flow cytometry, capillary electrophoresis, and liquid chromatography instruments. Our market studies show that such a source is required to enable the use of fluorescence based instrumentation in clinical applications. In Phase II, we will build a prototype device, demonstrate that our source has adequate power for these applications, and prove that we can meet the market specifications. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: Our UV laser has application is a wide range of clinical and research fluorescence detection markets, including flow cytometry, capillary electrophoresis, protein sequencing DNA sequencing, and high performance liquid chromatography.